Explores Jesus' sacrifice, the despair before His resurrection, and the transformative hope His resurrection offers to believers.
Good morning, blessed family of God. What a privilege it is to gather together, to be in the house of the Lord, to share in the fellowship of believers, and to immerse ourselves in the life-giving Word of God. We find ourselves on the precipice of a profound and transformative message today, a message that will guide us, challenge us, and ultimately, draw us closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Billy Graham once wrote, "When Jesus hung on the cross, a great unseen cosmic battle raged in the heavens—and in the end, Christ triumphed over all the forces of evil and death and hell." We’re going to be discussing this moment, the moment when Jesus died on that cross.
So let us turn our hearts and minds to the Word of God, as found in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 15, verses 33 and 34:
"At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?")."
These words, spoken in the midst of Jesus' darkest hour, carry a weight of sorrow, a depth of despair, a sense of abandonment that is almost too much to bear. Yet, they also carry a promise, a glimmer of hope, a foreshadowing of the greatest victory the world has ever known.
When we think about the cross, we often focus on the physical pain and suffering that Jesus endured. The nails in his hands and feet, the crown of thorns on his head, the scourging he received. But there was another burden that Jesus bore on the cross, a burden that was far heavier and far more painful than any physical suffering. This was the burden of our sin.
Sin: As we know, it’s a transgression of God's law. It is an act of rebellion against the holy and righteous God who created us. It is a rejection of His love, His grace, His mercy. And it is a burden that we all carry. Every lie we tell, every selfish act, every unkind word, every impure thought, adds to this burden. It is a weight that we cannot bear on our own. It is a debt that we cannot pay.
Jesus chose to bear this burden for us: He took our sin upon Himself, carrying it to the cross. He paid the debt that we could not pay, giving His life as a ransom for many. This is the heart of the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. It is a message of hope, of redemption, of salvation.
The great cost of our sin: It cost Jesus His life. It cost Him His relationship with His Father. It cost Him everything. And yet, He willingly paid that price for us. He willingly bore our sin, our shame, our guilt. He did it out of love for us, out of a desire to bring us back into relationship with God.
A profound truth: It’s one that should cause us to fall on our knees in gratitude and worship. It should cause us to turn away from our sin, to seek God's forgiveness, to strive to live a life that is pleasing to Him. It should cause us to love others as Jesus has loved us, to forgive as we have been forgiven, to serve as Jesus served.
The power of His sacrifice: It was not just a physical sacrifice, but a spiritual one. It was a sacrifice that broke the power of sin and death, that opened the way for us to have eternal life. It was a sacrifice that demonstrated God's love in the most profound and powerful way. This is the message of the cross, the message that we are called to proclaim. It is a message of hope, of love, of redemption. It is a message that has the power to transform lives, to heal broken hearts, to set captives free. It is a message that we are privileged to share, a message that we are commanded to live out in our daily lives.
The hope that His sacrifice brings: Let us remember that we are no longer slaves to sin, but children of God. Let us remember that we have been bought with a price, that we belong to Jesus, that we are His. Let us remember that we are loved, that we are valued, that we are precious in God's sight.
The power of His resurrection: Let us remember that Jesus did not stay in the grave, that He rose again on the third day, that He is alive today. Let us remember that because of His resurrection, we too can have new life. We too can be raised from the dead. We too can have hope for the future.
As we continue to reflect on the words of Jesus in Mark 15:33-34, we find ourselves enveloped in the darkness that fell over the land ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
Sermon Central
